80 HUMMING-BIRD. 



and cup, the birds amused themselves by snapping at them on 

 wing, and swallowing them with eagerness, so that these in- 

 sects formed no inconsiderable part of their food. Mr. Charles 

 Wilson Peale, proprietor of the Museum, tells me, that he had 

 two young Humming-birds which he raised from the nest. 

 They used to fly about the room; and would frequently perch 

 on Mrs. Peale's shoulder to be fed. When the sun shone 

 strongly into the chamber, he has observed them darting after 

 the motes that floated in the light, as Flycatchers would after 

 flies. In the summer of 1803 a nest of young Humming-birds 

 was brought me, that were nearly fit to fly. One of them ac- 

 tually flew out by the window the same evening, and falling 

 against a wall, was killed. The other refused food, and the next 

 morning I could but just perceive that it had life. A lady in 

 the house undertook to be its nurse, placed it in her bosom, and 

 as it began to revive, dissolved a little sugar in her mouth, into 

 which she trust its bill, and it sucked with great avidity. In 

 this manner it was brought up until fit for the cage. I kept it 

 upwards of three months, supplied it with loaf sugar dissolved 

 in water, which it preferred to honey and water, gave it fresh 

 flowers every morning sprinkled with the liquid, and surround- 

 ed the space in which I kept it with gauze, that it might not 

 injure itself. It appeared gay, active, and full of spirit, hovering 

 from flower to flower as if in its native wilds, and always ex- 

 pressed by its motions and chirping, great pleasure at seeing 

 fresh flowers introduced to its cage. Numbers of people visited 

 it from motives of curiosity, and I took every precaution to pre- 

 serve it, if possible, through the winter. Unfortunately, how- 

 ever, by some means it got at large, and, flying about the 

 room, so injured itself that it soon after died. 



This little bird is extremely susceptible of cold, and if long 

 deprived of the animating influence of the sun beams, droops 

 and soon dies. A very beautiful male was brought me this 

 season, which I put into a wire cage, and placed in a retired 

 shaded part of the room. After fluttering about for some time, 

 the weather being uncommonly cool, it clung by the wires, and 



